


look at you, strawberry blonde

by sapphoblade



Category: Dream SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oblivious GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Slow Burn, and dream too honestly, there's a lot of flirting but theyre both SLOW asf
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:14:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28182984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphoblade/pseuds/sapphoblade
Summary: George moves to Florida and forms a friendship with Dream, except said friendship is painfully abundant in unspoken tension and not-entirely-disingenuine flirting.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 31





	look at you, strawberry blonde

**Author's Note:**

> quick psa obvi i'll take this down if dream or george ever say they're uncomfy w fics :)
> 
> n e way i hope u enjoy the fic !!! i've never written dnf stuff before so idk if this is trash but hopefully it's not FKJSFSKD

“George, this is Clay,” the teacher clarified, gesturing vaguely towards the general direction of the tall, mildly intimidating boy beside him. “For lack of better words, he’ll be your ‘tour guide’ - by which I mean: he’ll be showing you around the campus for the rest of the afternoon; assuring that you’re provided with the most accommodating welcome to the school; serving as an aid with schoolwork, if need be; and everything else of the sort. I’m afraid, as a result of my busy schedule and such, I’ll have to bid the two of you goodbye for now, but don’t forget that my door’s always open if you need anything.” he finished, shooting a glance at the slightly ajar door of this office, prompting George and Clay’s swift exit. “Farewell!”

They stood in silence for a moment, both awkwardly hovering in the spot just outside the now closed door until the ‘tour guide’ in question finally spoke. “So, George,” Clay said, dragging out the syllables of the other’s name, almost as if he were rolling the word around in his mouth and testing the feeling of the sound leaving his lips. “You just moved here from England, right?”

George fidgeted with the hem of his jacket, not daring to meet Clay’s eyes, but still granting him with a quick response. He was an introvert, not an asshole - there was no reason to ignore Clay, or at least, there was no reason besides the unease that followed essentially any conversation with somebody George wasn’t entirely familiar with, which was hardly a valid basis for disregarding basic human decency. 

“The accent’s probably a huge giveaway, but yeah, I am. I’ve lived in London for basically my entire life, up until now, that is. I only moved here about a week back ‘cause of a job offer my mum got somewhere in this neighbourhood.” he replied, sighing slightly.

“Mm, cool, cool. Well, if you ever need someone to show you around - as in, show you around some actually fun places outside of this hellhole of a school - I’m your guy. I was born and raised in Florida, so I know some pretty sick hangout spots.” Clay suggested, sending an almost alarmingly charming grin the other’s way. “Only if you’re interested, though. I wouldn’t want to drag you around against your will, obviously.” he added, laughing as he spoke.

George joined him in his laughter, letting a few lighthearted chuckles escape his lips before he actually found it in him to form a coherent response.  _ Jesus Christ, it’s like Clay’s a character straight out of a cheesy teenage rom-com, or something,  _ he thought to himself while the last series of giggles left his lips.  _ He’s got that dumb contagious laugh, and he’s attractive - objectively so. He fits the archetype of literally every stereotypically overly charismatic love interest, to an almost obnoxious extent.  _ Not quite to the extent that George genuinely felt any sense of anger or discomfort, though. Quite the opposite - he'd probably be content to sit and talk to Clay for hours on end, but he kept that to himself. It wasn't exactly the time for confessions or spontaneous expressions of vulnerability. 

“My better judgement is telling me it might not be the best idea to let a complete stranger lead me around the backstreets of Florida, but sure.” he quipped, wandering beside Clay as he began guiding him through the corridor, presumably beginning the ‘tour’ whilst they chatted. 

Feigning hurt, Clay swung his arm over his face and sighed dramatically. “George, are you suggesting I have malicious intent?” he questioned, emphasising the final phrase as if to illuminate how ridiculous the shorter boy was supposedly being. “How could you be so cruel? I am, without a doubt, a completely trustworthy person. Besides - I'm not even a stranger. Teach’ already told you who I am.” he whined, being significantly more theatrical than was necessary. 

“The headteacher didn’t say you were trustworthy, he just told me you were reliable enough to take up the simple task of giving me a tour of the school - which you’ve been awful at, for the record. Anyway, the only thing I have to go off of is your word, and we both know that doesn't count for much. For all I know, you could be pulling lies out of thin air.” George reasoned (argued even, but there was no genuine malice behind his words).

The taller boy stilled for a moment, almost comically stopping in his tracks whilst he thought, quietly considering what his next response would be. “Oh,” he started with a newfound assuredness. “The only reason you’re going on about this shit is because you like me! You're just trying to get me to tell you more about myself - which I'll gladly do, of course. Anything for a devoted fan.” he teased, grinning smugly.

“I'm not a fan, you moron. In fact, I don't care at all - don't even bother introducing yourself. I'd actually be happy to walk in silence for the rest of the tour.” he lied. George didn’t stand by the sentiment of his reply, but he'd been speaking with Clay for long enough to realise that was the tone he had to adopt in order for the conversation to have any entertainment value for either of the two. If he was going to venture beyond the limits of his comfort zone (said limits being: not wanting to have conversations of substance with people who he barely knew), he might as well just go all out. Partly for the sake of simple enjoyment, and partly because something about Clay’s inexplicably fascinating aura made him want to pour his heart out, made him want to share his deepest, darkest secrets regardless of possible judgements or repercussions that might follow.

The taller boy’s grossly fond voice interrupted his train of thought. “Aw. It's okay, Georgie. You don't need to be embarrassed about it. Here, I’ll introduce myself for real now - just out of solidarity,” he wheezed, meeting George’s clearly unimpressed gaze with his own unreadable green-eyed stare before continuing. “So, as you already know, my name’s Clay, but most people call me Dream; feel free to use either though, I don’t really have a preference. I’m also the quarterback of our school’s football team, making me the coolest, most attractive guy in this dump.” he said, concluding his introduction amidst another set of kettle-esque chuckles. 

The audacity of the claim made him cringe a little, but George still found himself caught up in the warmth and amiability of Clay’s laugh, letting a small smile of his own spread across his face. Unbefitting of the tenderness woven throughout his tone, he complained, “Oh my God, you’re so dumb. Are you always this egotistical, or is today just a special occasion?”

“Firstly, rude much,” he snorted, nudging George’s shoulder, exploiting physical contact as an odd form of almost endearing mockery. “And secondly, I’d say it’s a mix of both,” he stated matter-of-factly, despite his exaggerated grin and occasional wheezes between sentences. “I’m only this confident ‘cause I’m fucking awesome, but I do play up the confidence around potential boyfriends for extra charm points. Y’know how it is.”

“Nice one Dream, what an impressive pick-up line. Very smooth. I’m practically swooning already.” he said plainly, his intended deadpan only slightly betrayed by the rosy-toned blush settled on his cheekbones. “What, are you trying to date me or something? Sounds to me like you're more of a ‘fan’ than I am.” he half-flirted, mirroring the other boy’s change in disposition.

“Did you just admit to being a fan of me? Oh, you've got to be more careful, George. You might accidentally let something even more embarrassing slip next time.” Clay taunted, increasing the tension in the air tenfold through yet another awkward attempt at banter. 

George stood in stunned silence, unable to accept the fact that he’d definitely processed the words that he’d just heard correctly, shocked to the degree that he was left in a flustered state without any witty response to the sudden forwardness. As much as George wanted to pretend that he genuinely believed the entire conversation had been friendly repartee with not even a microscopic amount of underlying tension, that inner conflict was quickly bulldozed by the ache for a classic cinematic love story, one of the many ridiculous things he often found himself daydreaming about. He knew that wasn’t where the relationship was going, obviously, but as any hopelessly-romantic teen does, he secretly wished that the baseless flirting would develop into something that fulfilled the movie trope equivalent to the dynamic between the two of them.

“Hey, George?” Clay asked softly, choosing to break the silence after being met with no refute and a flushed complexion from the other boy. “I’m sorry, that was fucking weird of me to say. Joking around like that is a habit of mine, and I totally suck at picking up on social cues and stuff, so I just end up spouting random bullshit without thinking a lot of the time. I get it if it makes you, like, uncomfy or anything. Just let me know and I’ll drop it. Sorry, again.” he rambled, chuckled after he spoke, but it was more of a bleak, desperate filler for the stillness than the hearty verbalisations of happiness George had heard earlier.

Stumbling over his words, he clarified as hastily as he could manage, “No, no. It’s alright, seriously, don’t worry. I just,” he paused, exhaling before huffing out the second half of his speech in what nearly sounded like a single urgent breath. “I just got caught up thinking about something random. School and stuff, y’know? I stressed myself out; I was the one being dumb, not you. And I don’t mind the habit. It’s endearing, I think. So, um, feel free to carry on with that if you want.” he laughed, the sound falling somewhere between an authentic giggle, and a reflexive reaction to his clumsy shot at flirting. 

“Oh, that’s good to know, I guess,” he smiled, meeting George’s eyes with a strategically-timed look. “Anyhow, I should probably get back to finishing the tour. We can catch up with each other properly after school, though. If you’re up for it, maybe I can actually show you some of those chill hangout spots I was talking about.” he offered, a far-reaching grin materialising whilst he returned to his typical self.

A beam just as wide as Clay’s tugged at the corners of George’s mouth, and he indulged, letting the smirk transform into a toothy smile. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW incase u didn't know the title n chapter names r all from strawberry blonde by mitski :D i recommend listening to the song if u haven't before !!


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